Jain: Final Rites

Jain cremation ceremony is very simple and short. This is the order of the Rites:

Dressing the body:

Avoid natural flowers

Use sandalwood mala (Garland)

Near the deceased casket

Place swastika

On top of swastika: put a whole coconut, divo, and agarbatti

Recite stavans and bhajans for about one hour

Eulogy from family and friends

Final view by visitors

Family members get together by the casket and apply:

Water and rice three times on the body

Sandalwood powder on the body

Ghee on forehead, hands, and feet.

At the end of the ceremony, guests chant navkar mantra, and put:

Sandalwood mala on body

Piece of gold in the mouth

A pearl in the right eye

The casket is then closed

The Jains cremate the dead as soon as possible. First the body is rubbed with a wet cloth. The corpse is then clothed and placed in a bier and covered with a kafan. The body is tied to the bier and taken to the crematorium. A suitable place without any living organisms like grass or insects is selected so as not to harm them. There a platform of wood is erected.

The body is taken from the bier and placed on the platform with logs of wood over it. Ghee, camphor and sandalwood powder are sprinkled all over the body and the eldest son of the deceased does the last rites.

The son goes round the pyre three times sprinkling water allover the body. Chanting the Namokar Mantra ,he lights up the pyre. Then after sometime they pour milk over the place. The remains are collected in bags and the place is thoroughly cleansed. The remains are not immersed in rivers as they can pollute the water. Instead they dig a hole in the earth and put the remains and sprinkle salt all over, so that it dissolves easily.

The Jains believe that the dead soul would be reborn immediately. So for them death is a festival or Mahotsav. Loud wailing and observing anniversaries are not part of the Jain Tradition.

Words of Appreciation

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need is felt everywhere to address
this issue.
We, at Vishwa Hindu Parishad of
America are happy that you have
taken initiative in this matter.”— Gaurang G. Vaishnav,
Executive Vice President,
Vishwa Hindu Parishad of America
(VHPA), Edison, NJ.

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Departing Vaisnavas.)